The logo of Steubenville, Ohio consists of artwork depicting the city's landmarks, including a bridge and historic fort, along with the prominent cross at Franciscan University. After Wisconsin atheists threatened a lawsuit if the cross wasn't eliminated, city officials agreed to change the logo."We designed the logo to represent faith, family, work, recreation and history."UPDATE 8/4/12: Citizen uprising convinces city gov't to halt plans to drop cross from logo
-- Mark Nelson, Steubenville artist
UPDATE 7/29/12 - FOX News video:
-- From "Steubenville changes logo to remove religious symbols" by The Associated Press 7/26/12
Steubenville law director Gary Repella said a citizen complained about the logo, which includes the cross and silhouette of the Christ the King Chapel on the Franciscan University of Steubenville campus. The city was subsequently contacted by the Freedom from Religion Foundation in Madison, Wis.
Repella told the city council this week that it could get expensive if the city decided to contest a possible legal challenge.
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From "City of Steubenville forced to change new logo because of religious elements" by Natalie Herbick, WTOV-TV9 (Steubenville, OH) 7/24/12
Shortly after the beginning of the year the city of Steubenville worked with local artist Mark Nelson to create a new logo.
Residents NEWS9 spoke with said they have never noticed the logo's religious elements . . .
"I think it's silly, the college does a lot for this city. If it wasn't for the college there wouldn't be a whole lot in this city," said Scott Pasco.
Repella said despite the university's contributions, they have to follow constitutional law and the separation of church and state.
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From "Franciscan University Image Will Be Removed From Steubenville City Logo" by Catholic News Agency 7/27/12
“We find it particularly troubling that an out-of-town and out-of-touch group targeted the university for removal from the logo solely because of our religious identity,” [Franciscan's Michael] Hernon said July 25 on behalf of the university.
The city’s present logo, unveiled in December 2011, displays in silhouette the downtown cityscape and various landmarks of the city, including historic Fort Steuben, the Veterans' Memorial Bridge and Franciscan’s Christ the King Chapel.
Hernon said the city included the chapel because it represents Franciscan University, the “world-renowned center of higher learning and one of the largest employers in the region.”
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From "Legal threat over logo frustrating for designer" by Dave Gossett, Staff Writer, The Steubenville Herald-Star 7/26/12
"On a very personal level I find it very frustrating that one person or a small group can complain and ultimately change the city's logo," said [Mark] Nelson, the owner of Nelson Fine Arts and Gifts.
"What bothers me is this organization has used its interpretation of separation of church and state that is not included in the Constitution to bully the city into changing its logo. My family and I are proud to be here in Steubenville and to be part of the community. We are also proud to have a business in Steubenville," Nelson added.
"As used in the city logo, the chapel image is not an endorsement of any one religion, or religion at all. It merely signifies one of the many treasures of Steubenville-along with Historic Fort Steuben, the Veterans Memorial Bridge and the downtown cityscape-that are well-known community landmarks." [Hernon said]
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